Important Dates in Indian History

Important Dates in Indian History

BC

2600-1900                       Indus Valley Civilization (3000-1500 bc in some sources)

563                                 Birth of Gautam Buddha (576 bc in some sources)

527                                 Birth of Mahavir

327-326                          Alexander’s invasion of India. It opened a land route between India and Europe

313                                 Accession of Chandragupta Maurya according to Jain traditions

305                                 Defeat of Seleucus at the hands of Chandragupta Maurya

273-231                          Ashoka’s reign 

261                                 Conquest of Kalinga

145-101                          Region of Elara, the Chola King of Sri Lanka

58                                   Beginning of Vikrami era

AD

78                                   Beginning of Saka era

120                                 Accession of Kanishka

320                                 Commencement of Gupta era, the golden age of Hindu India

380                                 Accession of Vikramaditya

405-411                          Visit of Chinese traveller Fa-hien

415                                 Accession of Kumara Gupta I

455                                 Accession of Skanda Gupta

606-647                          Harshavardhan’s reign

712                                 First invasion in Sind by Arabs

836                                 Accession of King Bhoja of Kannauj

985                                 Accession of Rajaraja, the Chola ruler

998                                 Accession of Sultan Mahmud

1001                               First invasion of India by Mahmud Ghazni who defeated Jaipal, ruler of Punjab

1025                                Destruction of Somnath Temple by Mahmud Ghazni 

1191                                First Battle of Tarain 

1192                               Second Battle of Tarain

1206                                Accession of Qutub-ud-din Aibak to the throne of Delhi

1210                               Death of Qutub-ud-din Aibak

1221                               Changez Khan invaded India (Mongol invasion)

1236                               Accession of Razia Sultan to the throne of Delhi

1240                               Razia Sultan dies

1296                               Accession of Ala-ud-din Khilji

1316                               Ala-ud-din Khilji dies

1325                               Accession of Muhammad-bin Tughlaq

1327                               Shifting of Capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Deccan by the Tughlaqs

1336                                Founding of Vijayanagar empire in the South

1351                                Accession of Feroze Shah

1398                                Invasion of India by Timur Lang

1469                                Birth of Guru Nanak

1494                                Accession of Babur in Farghana

1398                                Invasion of India by Timur Lang

1469                                Birth of Guru Nanak

1494                                Accession of Babur in Farghana

1497-98                          First voyage of Vasco da Gama to India (discovery of a sea route to India via the Cape of Good Hope)

1526                               First Battle of Panipat; Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi: foundation of Mughal rule by Babur

1527                               Battle of Khanya; Babur defeated Rana Sanga

1530                               Death of Babur and accession of Humayun

1539                               Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun and became India’s emperor

1540                                Battle of Kannauj

1555                                Humayun recaptured the throne of Delhi

1556                                Second Battle of Panipat 1565    Battle of Talikota

1576                                Battle of Haldighati; Rana Pratap defeated by Akbar

1582                                Din-e-Illahi founded by Akbar

1597                                Death of Rana Pratap

1600                                East India Company established

1605                                Death of Akbar and accession of Jehangir

1606                                Execution of Guru Arjun Dev

1611                                Jehangir marries Nur Jahan

1616                                Sir Thomas Roc visits Jehangir

1627                                Birth of Shivaji and death of Jehangir

1628                                Shahjahan becomes emperor of India

1631                                Death of Mumtaz Mahal

1634                                The British permitted to trade in India (in Bengal)

1659                                Accession of Aurangzeb, Shahjahan imprisoned

1665                                Shivaji imprisoned by Aurangzeb

1666                                Death of Shahjahan

1675                                Execution of Teg Bahadur, the ninth Guru of Sikhs

1680                                Death of Shivaji     

1707                                Death of Aurangzeb

1708                                Death of Guru Gobind Singh      

1739                                Nadir Shah invades India

1757                               Battle of Plassey, establishment of British political rule in India at the hands of Lord Clive

1761                                Third Battle of Panipat; Shah Alam II becomes India’s emperor

1764                                Battle of Buxar       

1765                                Clive appointed Company’s Governor in India 

1767-69                           First Mysore War

1770                                The Great Bengal Famine

1780                                Birth of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

1780-84                           Second Mysore War       

1784                                Pitt’s India Act

1790-92                           Third Mysore War

1793                                The Permanent Settlement of Bengal

1799                                Fourth Mysore War—Death ofTipu Sultan

1802                                Treaty of Bassein

1809                                Treaty of Amritsar

1829                                Practice of Sati Prohibited

1830                               Raja Ram Mohun Roy, founder of Brahmo Samaj, visits England

1833                               Death of Raja Ram Mohun Roy

1839                               Death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

1839-42                           First Afghan War

1845-46                          First Anglo-Sikh War

1852                                Second Anglo-Burmese War

1853                               First Railway line opened between Bombay and Thane, and a Telegraph line in Calcutta

1857                                The Sepoy Mutiny or First War of Independence

1861                                Birth of Rabindranath Tagore

1869                                Birth of Mahatma Gandhi

1885                                Foundation of Indian National Congress

1889                                Birth of Jawaharlal Nehru

1897                                Birth of Subhas Chandra Bose

1904                                Tibet Expedition

1905                                First partition of Bengal under Lord Curzon

1906                                Foundation of Muslim League

1911                               Delhi Darbar; King and Queen visit India; Delhi becomes the capital of India

1914                                World War 1 begins

1916                                Lucknow Pact signed by Muslim League and Congress

1918                                World War 1 ends

1919                               Montague-Chelmsford Reforms introduced, Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar

1920                                Khilafat Movement launched

1927                                Boycott of Simon Commission, broadcasting started in India

1928                                Death of Lala Lajpat Rai (Sher-e-Punjab)

1929                               Lord Irwin’s Pact, resolution of complete independence passed at Lahore Congress

1930                               Civil Disobedience Movement launched; Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi (6 April, 1930)

1931                                Gandhi-Irwin Pact

1935                                Government of India Act enacted

1937                                Provincial Autonomy, Congress forms ministery

1939                                World War II begins (1 September)

1941                               Death of Rabindranath Tagore, escape of Subhas Chandra Bose from India

1942                               Arrival of Cripps Mission in India, ‘Quit India’ movement launched (8 August)

1942—44                        Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose forms provincial Azad Hindu Hukumat and Indian National Army; Bengal famine

1945                               Trial of Indian National Army at Red Fort; Shimla Conference; World War II ends

1946                               British Cabinet Mission visits India; Interim Government formed at the Centre

1947                               Divison of India; India and Pakistan form separate independent dominions

1948                               Mahatma Gandhi assassinated (30 January); integration of princely states

1949                               Cease-fire in Kashmir, Indian Constitution signed and adopted (26 November)

1950                               India becomes a Sovereign Democratic Republic (26 January) and Constitution of India comes into force

1951                                First Five-Year Plan; First Asian Games held in Delhi

1952                                First General Elections of the Lok Sabha

1953                               Conquest of Mt Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary

1956                                Second Five-Year Plan launched

1957                               Second General Elections; decimal coinage introduced, Liberation of Goa

1962                               Third General Elections in India; Chinese attack on India (20 December)

1963                                Nagaland becomes the 16th Indian State

1964                                Death of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru

1965                                Pakistan attacks India

1966                               Tashkent Pact; Death of Lai Bahadur Shastri; Mrs Indira Gandhi elected Prime Minister of India

1967                               Fourth General Elections; Dr Zakir Hussain elected the third president of India

1969                               V. V. Giri elected President of India; Nationalization of the leading banks by Presidential ordinance 

1970                                Meghalaya designated as autonomous state.

1971                               Himachal Pradesh becomcs a State; Indo-Pak War; Bangladesh is born

1972                                Shimla agreement; Death of C. Rajagopalachari

1973                                Mysore State renamed Karnataka

1974                               India explodes a nuclcar device; Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed elected as fifth President, Sikkim becomes an ‘associate State’ of India

1975                               India launches ‘ Aryabhata’; Sikkim becomes 22nd State of the Indian Union; State of Emergency is declared

1976                                India and China establish diplomatic relations

1977                               Sixth General Elections; Janata Party gets majority in Lok Sabha; Neelam Sanjiva Reddy elected sixth President of India

1979                               Morarji Desai resigns as Prime Minister; Charan Singh becomes Prime Minister; Charan Singh resigns (20 August): Sixth Lok Sabha dissolved

1980                               Seventh General Elections; Congress I comes to power; Mrs Indira Gandhi sworn in as Prime Minister; Sanjay Gandhi dies in an air crash, India launches SLV-3 into space carrying Rohini satellite

1982                               Longest bridge in Asia opened (2 March); Acharya J. B. Kripalani dies (19 March); 1NSAT1A launched; Giani Zail Singh elected President of India (15 July); Over 500 persons killed in Gujarat cyclone (5 November); Acharya Vinoba Bhavc dies (15 November);IX Asian Games inaugurated (19 November)

1983                                CHOGM held in New Delhi

1984                               Operation Blue Star in Punjab; Rakesh Sharma goes into space; Mrs Indira Gandhi assassinated; Rajiv Gandhi becomes PM of India

1985                               Rajiv-Longovval accord signed; Sant H. S. Longowal killed; elections in Punjab; Assam accord; VII Five-Year Plan launched

1986                                Mizoram accord

1987                               R. Venkataraman elected President; Shankar Dayal Sharma elected Vice-President of India, Bofors gun and Fairfax controversies

1988                               Operation Black Thunder in Punjab; Accord to quell insurgency in Tripura

1989                               Ram Shilanyas Puja at Ayodhya; India’s first IRBM ‘Agni’ successfully launched from Orissa (22 May); Trishul Missile test fired (5 June); Second successful launch of Prithvi (27 September); Rajiv Government loses poll and resigns (29 November); Jawahar Rozgar Yojna launched (29 November); National Front Leader V. P. Singh sworn in as seventh PM, New cabinet sworn in (2 December), Ninth Lok Sabha constituted.

1990                               Last of IPKF return home (25 March); Indian Airlines A-320 Airbus Crash (14 Febuary); Janata Dal splits; BJP withdraws support to the Government; Advani takes out Rath Yatra and is arrested; Mandal Report implementation announced by V. P. Singh; Violence in Ayodhya due to Ram Janam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.

1991                               Gulf War breaks out (17 January); Rajiv Gandhi assassinated (21 May); X Lok Sabha constituted (20 June); P. V. Narasimha Rao becomes Prime Minister.

1992                               India establishes full diplomatic ties with Israel (29 January); Bharat Ratna and Oscar winner Satyajit Ray dies (23 April); S. D. Sharma elected President (25 July); INS Shakti-first indigeneously built submarine was launched on 7 Febuary.

1993                               Ordinance to acquire 67.33 acres in Ayodhya (7 January); Massive security fails in BJPrally; Wave of bombing leaves 300 dead in Bombay; Insat-2B becomes fully operational; Earthquake in Maharashtra.

1994                               Government monopoly over civil aviation ends; Storm over GATT treaty; Plague outbreak; Sushmita Sen—Miss Universe; Aishwarya Rai —Miss World.

1995                               Mayawati First Dalit Chief Minister of UP; BJP comes to power in Maharashtra and Gujarat, Janata Dal in Karnataka and Congress in Orissa; Indian National Congress (T) formed; President’s Rule in UP after fall of Mayawati; INSAT 2C and IRSI-C launched.

1996                               Hawala takes toll of several Union Ministers and opposition leaders; PSLV D3 launched on 21 March with IRSP-3 ushering new era in Indian space programme; Eleventh Lok Sabha Elections held on April 127-BJP emerges as the single largest party.

1997                               On 15 August, India celeberated its 50th year of Independence.

1998                               Death of Mother Teressa; Atal Behari Vajpayee becomes Indian

Prime Minister; India explodes its second nuclear device (Pokhran II)

1999                               Indian Airlines plane IC-814 hijacked by terrorists and taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan, on 24 December, 1999. Three militants released by Indian govt, for the freedom of hostages kept as passengers. 

In June 1999, Fit Lt K. Nachiketa, the captured Indian pilot, released by Pakistan after eight days of captivity.

‘Operation Vijay’ launched by Indian Army to flush out Pakistani infiltrators inside LoC in the Kargil sector of J&K, India wins battle.

2000                               US President Bill Clinton visits India during March 2000. Three new states Chhatisgarh, Uttaranchal and Jharkhand created. India’s population crossed one billion mark.

2001                               ‘Agra Summit’ between India and Pakistan in July 2001; Worst natural calamity of India: Gujarat Earthquake in Jan 2001; ‘Tehelka.Com’ screened video tapes which opened the murky world of arms deal and its kickbacks to Indian Army officials, ministers and politicians in March 2001; Vl^th census of India (since Independence) concluded in March 2001.

Enron bids farewell to Indian energy sector in August 2001; GSLV launched successfully in April 2001 and PSLV-C3 launch conducted in October 2001.

2002                               71-year old missile scientist, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, is elected President of India; One of the most horrific communal roits in     recent history, the Godhra Incident, happens on 27 February 2002 in Gujarat; National Water Policy announced in April, which aims at integrating water resources development and management for optimal and sustainable utilisation.

2003                               Formation of Strategic Forces Command (SFC) and the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) by India; Air Marshal Teja Mohan Asthana named first   commander-in-chief of the SFC; Advanced multipurpose satellite, INSAT-3 A is successfully launched into space from Kourou of French Guyana; CBI forms an Economic Intelligence Wing :£ to tackle white-collar crime in June; India’s advanced communication u satellite INSAT-3E is launched by an European rocket from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana in December.

2004                               NDA government ousted by the Congress and its allies in the “O General Election; Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi opts against becoming prime minister of India despite being in a strong position; fc Congress and its allies forms government at the centre under the Prime “5 Ministership of Dr Manmohan Singh. On 26 December 2004, Tsunami ~ in the Indian Ocean hit South India alongwith many Southeast-Asian nations killing about 3,000 people. More than 11,000 deaths reported £ in India alone.

2005                               Monsoon rains in late July and early August 2005 caused devastating landslides and floods that killed about 900 people in and around Bombay.  An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck Pakistani-controlled Kashmir on 8 October 2005. More than 81,000 people were killed and 2.5 million left homeless. India suffered about 13,000 casualties.

Indo-US reached an agreement in July 2005 that would allow India to seek outside help in developing its civilian nuclear power i-jprogram while maintaining its nuclear weapons. In addition, India would submit the civilian program, but not its weapons program, to inspections.

The accord departs from an “atoms for peace” program that dates to the Eisenhower, administration, which bans countries with nuclear weapons from buying nuclear fuel and equipment from foreign countries.

The US allowed American companies to provide India with several types of modem combat weapons, including F-15 and F-18 fighter jets. The announcement was seen as an attempt to balance the US offer to sell Pakistan about two dozen F-16s.

2006                               In March 2006, President Bush and Prime Minister Singh agreed to a controversial nuclear deal that permitted the sale of US nuclear technology to India despite the fact that India has never signed the international Nuclear Non-proliferation agreement. Since 1998, the US has imposed  sanctions on India for undertaking nuclear tests. Critics of the deal, which must be approved by Congress, contend that allowingIndia to circumvent the international treaty will make it more difficult to negotiate and rein in North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

2007                               Tata emerges as the world’s fifth largest steel maker after the acquisition of British steel maker Corns. 

Sensex regains the 14 K. peak by gaining more than 72 points on sustained buying by foreign and domestic funds in banking, auto and technology sector stocks.

2008                               Gujjar community protested for ST quota. Protests took place at different districts of Rajasthan and led to invoking of national security act in 15 districts of Rajasthan.

India and Russia sign an agreement on a joint lunar mission Chandranarayan-2.

Indian navy became first to ski the North Pole. India clinched US $ 1 billion Hercules deal. India celebrates 60th Republic Day.

2009                               In the general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha, UPA outshined other alliances and Dr Manmohan Singh was re-elected as the Prime Minister of India.

                                       Blasts in Assam state claim many lives.

2010                               Women’s Reservation Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on 9 March 2010.

On 22 May 2010, 158 passangers of a Boeing 737 plane of Air India died in a tragic air crash.

A Bhartiya Janta Party leader was killed by Maoists in Dantewada district of Chattisgarh. 76 security personnel also lost their lives in the incident.